Beauty in Blue-Kiyonna Luna Lace Dress Review

Hello beauties!  Today, I am reviewing the lovely Kiyonna Luna Lace Dress in Crazy About Blue.  I have been really in love with trying new colors and shapes in my wardrobe lately so I could not resist the Luna Lace Dress in the Crazy About Blue shade.

Dress: Luna Lace dress in Crazy About Blue in size 1X courtesy of Kiyonna
Shoes: Athena Sandals in White courtesy of Bearpaw

The Luna Lace Dress is a lovely cocktail dress in stretch lace with a nude lining.  The bodice is fitted tapering to a ruched waist and belling into a graceful a-line skirt.  The illusion bodice is great, the nude lining gives the appearance of showing skin but keeps your modesty intact and hides unsightly bra straps.  I love the sleeve length and the addition of the scalloped edges showcasing the feminine lattice and floral lace of the dress.  The same scalloped lace edges border the skirt.  The skirt is a flowing gathered A-line that reaches to a few inches below the knee on my 5'3" frame.

  The Luna Lace Dress is designed to give you that flattering hourglass silhouette and it really delivers.  The lace material is high quality and flattering to the figure with just enough stretch to give shape.  The color is an intense blue that reminds me of stormy skies on a summer day.

Who could resist these gorgeous Magnolias?!

This color is not something that I have a lot of in my closet so I am really loving how this shade plays with many of my accessories.  I am wearing my Grandmother's antique pearl necklace and clip on earrings with it here but I think it would also look adorable with red accessories for a patriotic look but simply worn alone it still makes an elegant statement.  This dress is great for so many reasons!  Kiyonna never fails to deliver just the right garment for any occasion.  Their quality, fit and style are always amazing.  I love Kiyonna!

Monday musings and Bearpaw Scarlet Review

The beautiful spring weather has given way to rain today.  I love the rain but its tough to stay inside when I have so much pent up energy! They're predicting snow possible on my birthday Tuesday but I'll celebrate anyways!!  I'm extremely excited for my upcoming shoot with Put A Smile In It Photography on Wednesday.  I haven't shot since December so I'm anxios to make some beautiful art.  It's funny how no matter how many times I'm in front of the camera, I always feel like its the first time.  I'm anxious and jittery, always a bit unsure but once I get in front of the camera it all seems far away, I absolutely cannot wait!  I have been in prep mode readying my vintage hats, going through accessories, picking the perfect shoes to match the beautiful dresses from Vivien of Holloway, Hell Bunny, Lindy Bop etc. that I have the privilege to review and wear in fun, creative retro shoots.  I am also thrilled to collaborate with Brandy at Put A Smile In It because she is a sweet supportive person with a gorgeous vintage studio and an amazing artistic eye.  Bring it on!!  This is going to be such a fantastic adventure!!!

I adore history, I'm fascinated with bygone eras, fashion, customs and faces.  I took up genealogy because I wanted to know our family history.  I spend a lot of my free time pursuing my hobby of genealogy as our family history has not been well documented.  This often means long walks through acres of cemeteries searching for relatives tombs, clues or just history to solve genealogical mysteries.  I've been working on my family tree for a little over two years and have traced some branches to the 1500s.  I'm thrilled that spring is here and with it the opportunity to get out in my community and find more about my ancestors amazing stories.  My ancestors have gone from only names on paper to fascinating people with interesting, triumphant and sometimes tragic stories.  I'm lucky to have four generations of family from our local area and have used the internet to fill in history beyond that. There are many free websites and applications to use for records and research, it is a very rewarding hobby.  Ancestry and Family Search offer free family tree builders on their website alpng with huge records databases searchable for subscription fees however many local libraries have an Ancestry library subscription you can use to access records and research if you cannot afford the fees.  It's been such a pleasure to not only learn about our local history but to teach my son too!  I'm looking forward in the future to putting together and teaching a class on our area history to local homeschool students.

Because I do a lot of walking I'm always looking for practical and comfortable shoes.  I was thrilled when I saw the Scarlet moccasins in the Bearpaw spring line because first, I've always loved a cute, comfy pair of mocs and second because I am Sassy SCARLET, perfect!!  I like to wear moccasins with jeans, cute hippie dresses or just puttering around the house, They're very versatile.  The Scarlet moccasins are buttery soft suede with fringe toe detail, a cute tie and driving moc soles. 

The wonderful thing about Scarlet (and honestly all Bearpaws I've tried) is that they fit beautifully, I walked nearly two hours around our local park and cemetery in my Scarlet mocs, no back of the ankle rubbing, chafing or sore feet. The tread is good for indoor or outdoor wear and very good for walking, although I would not recommend them on a wet day or for trekking through rough woods.  I love their stylish simplicity.  Scarlet have become my fave casual shoe of the moment, they're rarely off my feet!!  I cannot help but gush over how much I love Bearpaw, they make a great variety of amazing quality, super stylish footwear for a great price!  I'm blessed to be a proud brand ambassador for them but I have been a huge Bearpaw fan and customer for years.

Wishful Wednesday!

It's Wednesday again!!  I apologize for my lack of blogs in the last week.  Our family has really been struggling to stay well and unfortunately were hit with another bug.  The weather had been fluctuating rather wildly and this does not help our immunity.  It seems as if our weather has finally made a decision, it is finally warm and sunny and there are flowers coming up all around our yard.  I've been thinking a lot about casual wear outfits for spring and summer daily wear.  While I'm generally a dress girl, I've had my eye out for seperates that will add some mix and match variety to my wardrobe.  This week's look is an easy breezy casual sunny day look.  Great for everyday wear at home, running errands around town and picnicking or a fun afternoon outing with the family.

The Oblong Box Shop has just released their Palm Springs Swing skirt line inspired by the architecture of Palm Sprins and the Tiki life.  Available in a variety of unique novelty print patterns custom designed by Denialle Von Fitch, these skirts are medium weight polyester full circle skirts that use over 2 yards of material for the classic 1950s silhouette.  I chose the Mid Century House print with its kitschy atomic house print, boomerang pools, bright astro turf green background and salmon accents it is eye catching and a lot of fun.   The skirt is large enough to be full on its own or you can add a petticoat for extra flair.  I would pair this skirt with a simple black top to make the skirt the central statement piece of this outfit.  Their criss cross sweetheart pin-up top is the perfect compliment to this skirt.  The sweetheart neckline with twist accent, gathered material and criss cross straps make this a great retro styled wardrobe staple that can be worn with a printed skirt or a cute pair of bright capri pants.  I've been trying to add wardrobe staples like these to my closet and plan to add a a criss cross top and Palm Springs Swing skirt (or several!!) to my closet as soon as possible!!

Match Accessories is a fabulous handmade line of accessories inspired by a love of 40s, 50s and 60s fashion.  They offer a variety of unique and beautiful vintage inspired pieces including their gorgeous Sparklite.  I would wear their Hand Carved Teardrop Sparklite brooch in white with this.  The star motif matches atomic accents on the skirt and the white sparklite will stand out of the black criss cross top.  I would also wear their Hand Carved Teardrop Sparklite earrings in white to match, I love to match my accessories but I also often use them to draw attention to accent colors in whimsical prints such as this skirt.

I love Bearpaw!!  I've been a Bearpaw brand ambassador since February.  Every pair I have recieved is perfectly stylish, comfortable for walking and fit great.  Since I began working with them in einter I have only reviewed boots thus far so I have been dying to get my hands on their new spring line of colorful sandals, cute moccasins and adorable wedges.  I would wear my personal favorite from the spring line, the Flora wedge in white to finish this look.  I have a tendancy towards clumsiness so I prefer wedges for every day ease, they give me the boost in height I want without worry of falling over or tripping on things.  These wedges with their soft faux leather straps and jute wedge will keep you looking stylish but give the comfort of wearing flats.  I have yet to find a pair of paws that I do not absolutely love wearing!!  Thank you Bearpaw!

I love writing these blogs and sharing my thoughts.  I have been enjoying the planning and window shopping that I do in the days leading up to my posts.  This spring and summer I have so much planned.  It seems it's all just a waiting game at the moment but my dresses are chosen and I'm planning a pinup shoot next week.  It's been a very long time since my last shoot in December and so much has happened, it seems like years, not months, have gone by.  I am excited to get out there in front of the camera again, I will enjoy another fun summer season of photo shoots in many exciting locations and skipping around looking lovely in beautiful dresses.  I'm very much looking forward to our Michigan Pinups for Patriots events and will be writing my impressions and posting many photos from those as well.  Follow me on Facebook or Instagram for more fun! 

Bearpaw Twill review!!

I'm an unabashed Beatlemaniac!!  I've heard their music my entire life at home, on the radio and on TV. My official love for the Beatles started when I was 16 when the Beatles Anthology was on TV.  I was intrigued with their talent and charisma.  I loved their fun style from the matching suits to full on hippie garb.  My son is named Lennon!  Yup, I'm a Beatles freak!  When I saw the Bearpaw Twill boot it immediately reminded me of a modernized version of the Beatle boots of the 1960s.

Streamlined and stylish but functional.  The Twill are everything I need in a boot.  

Comfortable, versatile and too cute!!  I wear them with everything, jeggings, leggings and dresses.  It is important to me that most of my boots are able to be worn with dresses as I wear dresses most often, these are perfect to dress up or down.  The hidden wedge heel is just the right height and very easy to walk in. I love the funky cut and shape with three silver snap accents on the side.  I'm also very pleased that I have not had to worry about Bearpaws fitting around my calves, they are great, very roomy.  I highly recommend them for plus size women like myself, who have a hard time getting boots that fit their calves!   They are super soft inside too, I just cannot get over how soft the Bearpaws are and warm because while it looks nice outside, it was only 38 degrees here in Michigan!  Here I am having fun in my Twill walking my Pomeranian brothers Smokey and Teddy around the neighborhood.

Leopard babydoll dress and leggings by Torrid (last year). Necklace courtesy of Indie Czar.  Sweater is vintage.

For more pics and fun check out my new Sassy Scarlet Facebook page!!  Tomorrow I will post more pictures and review my Can Do Rosie pendant from Indie Czar, hot new customizable jewelry from down under!!   I'm working on Wishful Wednesday already because I found the perfect dress.  I cannot wait to show you!  Xoxo 

Bearpaw Madeline Review

It's winter in Michigan and this year has been another brutal one.  Negative temperatures nearly everyday have made tough to keep warm!  I've been needing a pair of good winter boots for several years.  Shoes and boots are not my favorite thing to buy.  I have wide feet and wide calves, which makes finding anything that fits decent tough.  Also living on limited income it is hard to justify the expenditure so I usually make due with my old boots, however this winter the cold made getting better boots necessary.  I've looked extensively but every pair I've bought let me down, either too narrow or the calves were too small, even Torrid brand boots were a tight fit.  I've been eyeing Bearpaw brand for a while so when they posted on their Facebook page that they looking for brand ambassadors, I jumped at the chance!!  I'm so happy and honored to have been chosen for this opportunity!!  I will be reviewing all the Bearpaw products I recieve.  I'm super excited to share!

Its hard to choose which pair of Bearpaws you want, they have so many varird fun styles to choose from!!  My first pair are the super cute Madeline boot in hickory, size 9. I generally wear an 8 but I measured slightly above the 8 on the Bearpaw size chart so they recommend sizing up as they do not carry half sizes.   They are perfect!!  Warm enough for Michigan winters, super stylish and rugged enough for walking in the snow.  The tread is great, no slipping and falling in these!!  I love how soft they are on my feet, like walking on a cloud and the longer you wear them, they conform to fit your feet perfectly.  The calf width is great!  I can wear them with jeggings and thick boot socks comfortably without struggling to put them on.  I recommend weatherproofing  them with a Bearpaw care kit to keep them looking their best, the kit also includes freshener spray and cleaner so it's must have for boot lovers.  I've recieved tons of compliments on these boots and everyone wants to touch the fuzzy trim!  Thanks Bearpaw for a great product!